If you’re not big on internet usage and downloads, then you probably won’t be too familiar with the phrase “torrents.” Torrents are different methods of downloading files and sharing them with other users. Typically with downloads, you download a single file to a single computer. With torrents, that single file is chopped into tiny pieces and shared among other users all over the world.

Torrents are a great way for people who have gotten rid of cable to still be able to enjoy the shows and movies they love. Now, there are some risks that come with torrenting that you must be aware of. A lot of people say that torrenting is illegal and is the leading cause of copyright infringement and internet piracy… well, that is true but there are public and private torrent sites to download from that are safe.

Torrenting first came out when broadband internet emerged. Broadband internet allowed users to have faster upload and download speeds than ever before! This made it easier for people to share larger files all over the world. With these downloads becoming so accessible, torrents quickly got its bad reputation of being the culprit of illegal downloading, whether it’s movies, TV shows, music, or games.

It was much easier for copyright holders to track down the IP addresses of the users of torrents and sue them for illegally sharing their content and materials. According to freakonomics.com, movie and music piracy costs the US Economy around 58 billion per year. Out of fear of being sued for copyright infringement, people have stayed away from torrents but the reality is that they’re the best way to handle large downloads. If you’re one who wants to use torrents but have concerns about doing it the safe way, then continue reading to find out the different ways to safely use torrents.

How to Download Your Torrents Safely

Utilize Torrents That are Legal

One of the biggest misunderstandings that people have about torrents is that they’re illegal when they’re really not. Now, there are several torrents that are certainly illegal but you just have to look for the legal ones. To find legal torrents, there are a few characteristics to look for:

• Torrents that have independent movies with a free release
• Public torrents that have older movies
• software that’s distributed for free

Keep This in the Back of Your Mind…

Copyright holders are watching very closely for users to download torrents that hold files to recent movies that just hit movie theaters and movies that have recently gone to Bluray and DVD, so instead of trying to be mindful of this, just look at legal torrents… it will save you lots of headaches and worries.

Get Your Torrents From Trusted Sites

When talking about torrents, you are not only risking legal issues but you’re also risking safety issues. The thing about torrents is that you won’t know exactly what you’re getting until the file has been downloaded and you open it up. You’ll think you’re opening up an episode to your favorite TV show but in reality, it’s a virus that infects your streaming device.

One of the biggest ploys was the show Game of Thrones. Hackers were using this show among other popular shows to infect people’s devices with spyware, malware, and other malicious programs; nearly 30,000 torrent users were affected. To avoid these types of issues, avoid finding torrents on sketchy sites… only use sites that you know and are comfortable with.

Use a VPN for Added Security

The all-time best way to stay safe when torrenting is to use a VPN. A VPN is very helpful and clever when torrenting… it not only hides your IP address but it also covers up your use of torrents from your ISP. Now, being that you stream your entertainment, you probably know about the different types of applications that give you access to the different shows and movies, right? Of course. One of the popular applications is called Popcorn Time.

Popcorn Time as well as other applications, all give users that access to instant entertainment but these applications also have the potential to put you at risk of a breach in security. Popcorn Time is an application that you would definitely want to make sure you have a VPN in place. You would want a VPN in general for added safety anyway but some of these different applications can be a little sketchy.

Ideally, you want to look for legal torrents but let’s be real… everybody isn’t going to take that route, SO, if you are using illegal torrents, having a VPN in place is a must, to stay safe from legal consequences.